Pitino Previews Sunday's Game against Cincinnati
January 23, 2010 | Men's Basketball
Jan. 23, 2010
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LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Louisville men's basketball head coach Rick Pitino met with members of the media on Saturday at the Yum! Center to preview Sunday's game against Cincinnati. The Cards and Bearcats will tip off at 12:04 p.m. ET at Freedom Hall and the game will be televised by the BIG EAST Network/WHAS-TV in Louisville.
U of L returns home after a pair of games on the road. Louisville dropped its third straight in falling 80-77 at Seton Hall on Thursday as nine Cardinals scored seven or more points in the game, led by Edgar Sosa's 15. The Cards rallied from a 13-point deficit with less than five minutes remaining but came up short.
Cincinnati (13-6, 4-3 BIG EAST) has won seven of its last 10 games, including its last two over Notre Dame 60-58 on Jan. 16 and USF 78-70 on Jan. 20 in its last outing when senior guard Deonta Vaughn totaled 20 points, five rebounds and four assists. Against Notre Dame, the Bearcats used a 50-31 rebounding advantage to overcome a 32.2 percent shooting performance from the field.
The Bearcats are among the nation's leaders in rebounding margin (+7.9, 7th in the nation) and field goal percentage defense (.389, 25th). Cincinnati is led by the trio of freshman guard Lance Stephenson (12.2 ppg, 4.8 rpg), Vaughn (11.9 ppg, 40-of-112 three-pointers, .357) and sophomore forward Yancy Gates (10.6 ppg, 6.7 rpg). Stephenson missed the USF game with an ankle injury. The Bearcats are No. 45 in the ratings percentage index (RPI) and is No. 48 in the Sagarin Ratings through games of Jan. 21.
The Cardinals' longest running series, Louisville leads 52-39 and has won five of the last seven meetings. U of L picked up a 72-63 victory at Cincinnati last year (2/21/09).
GAME FACTS - Louisville (12-7, 3-3) vs. Cincinnati (13-6, 4-3)
Date: Sunday, Jan. 24
Time: 12:04 p.m. ET
Site: Crum Court / Freedom Hall (18,865), Louisville, Ky. (UofL 679-140 all-time in Freedom Hall)
TV: BIG EAST Network (WHAS-TV, Ch. 11 in Louisville) will televise the game with Bob Picozzi (play-by-play) and Bob Wenzel (analyst)
Radio: WHAS (840 AM) with Paul Rogers (play-by-play) and Bob Valvano (analyst)
SIRIUS: SIRIUS Satellite Radio Ch. 90 (XM Ch. 203)
Series History: U of L leads 52-39 all-time (28-16 in Louisville, 22-21 in Cincinnati, 2-2 neutral)
National Ranking: Neither team is ranked in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Poll and Associated Press Poll this week.
Officials: John Cahill, John Higgins, Michael Stephens
Next U of L Game: Jan. 30 at West Virginia, noon ET (ESPN)
